The Hon. Jean Augustine to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award
Hundreds of representatives of the Caribbean region will gather at the Liberty Grand in Toronto on Friday, Sept. 28 for a festive evening showcasing their culture and hospitality while honouring two pioneering, Canada-based advocates for the region at the First Annual Governments of the Caribbean Gala and Awards Presentation.
Tickets are available for this elegant, black-tie event organized by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) in conjunction with the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA). The event, which will feature Caribbean celebrity chefs and top regional entertainers, will also serve as a fund-raising benefit for the CTO Foundation to support its efforts in tourism leadership development.
The CTO will honour two long-time Canadian residents who originally hailed from the Caribbean and have made great contributions to both regions with a lifetime achievement and special recognition award.
The Honourable Jean Augustine will receive the CTO’s Lifetime Achievement Award for her role as an educator, humanitarian, women’s rights advocate and politician. In 1993, Augustine became the first black woman to be elected to the Parliament of Canada. Born in St. Georges, Grenada, Augustine arrived in Canada in 1959. After completing a Master of Education degree, she became a school principal and supported many social causes.
During her years as a federal member of parliament, Ms. Augustine held various positions of leadership, including Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, Chair of the National Women’s Caucus, Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and the Status of Women, Chair of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Deputy Speaker.
The mother of two daughters, she has been cited, among other things, for her support of issues relating to black women and the successful integration of newcomer black youths to Canada. The Jean Augustine Scholarship Fund, established in her honour, provides help to single mothers studying at George Brown College in Toronto.
Despite all her achievements in her adopted country of Canada, she never forgot her roots. She helped lead the way for $13.5 million in aid to Grenada to assist in the recovery process of Hurricane Ivan in November 2004.
Joining Ms. Augustine in receiving recognition by the Canadian-Caribbean community is Andy Parris, a native of Trinidad who first made his mark in Canada in 1984 as regional director of BWIA International, a position he held until 1990. Parris quickly established himself as a fixture in the Canada-Caribbean community, representing his native Trinidad as well as the Turks and Caicos Islands for tourism in Canada. As manager of Canada for the CTO, Parris created six organization chapters in two years throughout Canada and introduced the popular “Caribbean Experience” educational programmes across the nation.
Parris has been a very active member of the community as well, serving in a number of regional organizations and his status as a leader in Caribbean – Canada relations has earned him a Special Recognition Award from the CTO.
Entertainment will be provided by The Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police Force Combo Band, Royal Bahamas Police Force ‘Pop’ Band, Joy Lapps, Bomani, Jamesy P and more.
The event starts at 6:30 p.m. and tickets are $200 per person or a table for eight for $1,600. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the CTO Foundation, a not-for-profit corporation, registered in the state of New York, formed exclusively for charitable and educational purposes. The Foundation provides scholarships and financial assistance to Caribbean nationals interested in pursuing studies in tourism and hospitality and supports tourism employees wanting to improve their foreign language skills.
For more information, visit www.caribbeanweek.ca or www.libertygrand.com.
About The Caribbean Tourism Organization
The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), with headquarters in Barbados and marketing operations in New York, London and Toronto, is the Caribbean’s tourism development agency and comprises membership of over 30 governments and a myriad of private sector entities.
The CTO’s mission is to provide to and through its members, the services and information needed for the development of sustainable tourism for the economic and social benefit of the Caribbean people.
The organization provides specialized support and technical assistance to member countries in the areas of marketing, human resource development, research and statistics, information technology and sustainable tourism development. The CTO disseminates information on behalf of its member governments to consumers and the travel trade.
The CTO’s New York office is located at 80 Broad Street, 32nd Floor, New York, NY 10004, USA; Tel: (212) 635-9530; Fax: (212) 635-9511; E-mail: ctony@caribtourism.com
CTO’s London office is located at 22 The Quadrant, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1BP, England. Tel: 011 44 208 948 0057; Fax: 011 44 208 948 0067; E-mail: ctolondon@caribtourism.com
CTO Canada is located at 2 Bloor Street West, Suite 2601, Toronto, Ontario M4W 3E2, Canada. Tel: (416) 935 0767; Fax: (416) 935 0939. E-mail: ctotoronto@caribtourism.com
CTO Headquarters is located at One Financial Place, Collymore Rock, St. Michael, Barbados; Tel: (246) 427-5242; Fax: (246) 429-3065; E-mail: ctobarbados@caribtourism.com
For more information, please visit www.doitcaribbean.com or www.onecaribbean.org.
Media Contacts
Andrew Wilson/Katie McCall/Terence Gallagher
Lou Hammond & Associates
(212) 308-8880
andreww@lhammond.com; katiem@lhammond.com
Hugh Riley
Caribbean Tourism Development Company
(212) 635-9530
hriley@caribtourism.com
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